Digital Art Director

Location:
Remote within Canada (head office in Vancouver, BC), with occasional travel for client meetings, shoots and events. Type: Full-time, 12-month contract with potential to become permanent

Salary:
$75,000
- $105,000 CAD annually, based on experience Kidzsmart Communications Inc. is a Vancouver-based, purpose-driven creative agency that helps brands connect with kids and families. For over 25 years, we've turned brands into trusted family favourites through play-driven learning experiences, immersive activations and digital content parents' trust. Our work spans national restaurant chains, pro and amateur sports organizations, toy and consumer-products brands, and our own children's publishing and e-commerce properties. Past and current partners include Boston Pizza, Canada Soccer, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Boston Red Sox. We're a small, senior team, so every designer here touches real client work from day one and sees it go out the door. You turn client goals into campaigns that kids love and parents' trust. Working with the Creative Director and account team, you'll shape the strategy, find the big idea and lead the creative team that brings it to life across digital and print. You're a strategic thinker and a natural creative lead, as comfortable presenting a campaign to a client as you are guiding designers, illustrators and freelancers to their best work. Work with the Creative Director and account team to turn client goals and briefs into clear creative strategies and channel plans. Review campaign results with the account team and bring what you learn into the next idea. Leading creatives on projects Lead and manage creatives on projects, including designers, illustrators, copywriters, photographers and freelancers, with clear briefs, timelines and useful feedback. Keep projects on brief, on schedule and on budget: scope creative hours, track timelines in our project management system and flag risks early. Hold the creative bar across every touchpoint, and build brand systems and campaign toolkits for clients and for Kidzsmart's own brands, including licensed properties. Create concepts, key visuals and layouts yourself when it helps shape or sell an idea. Digital and print Guide digital work across social, web, e-commerce, email, apps and short-form video, with a clear sense of what works on each platform. Guide print work such as activity books, kids' menus, packaging and event materials — briefing production partners on brand and creative intent and reviewing proofs with them before anything ships. Make sure kid-facing work meets advertising, privacy and accessibility standards for children. 5+ years in graphic design or art direction, with experience leading campaigns and creative teams, ideally at an agency. ~ A portfolio of strategic, integrated campaigns that shows the insight, the idea and how it played out across digital and print. ~ A strategic mind: you can connect a client's business goal to an audience insight and a compelling creative idea. ~ Experience managing creatives and freelancers across several projects at once, keeping work on brief, on schedule and on budget. ~ Solid knowledge of digital channels and formats, plus enough print production know-how to brief partners and catch problems before they ship. ~ Expert skills in Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) and working knowledge of Figma. ~ Agency or brand experience in kids, family, toys or youth sports. Concept writing or copywriting skills. Create campaigns for national brands that kids and families use every day. Range: campaigns, experiential programs, publishing, e-commerce and our own children's brands. A 12-month contract with a real path to a permanent role. #